About Us
Message from the Chair
Children are not small adults – they are the whole of our future. They carry with them a family’s and the nation’s deepest hopes. Caring for them is the most meaningful work in medicine – and it is what drives us every single day, to be better.
We are a community built on the belief that exceptional care, rigorous science, and purposeful education are inseparable. When we train a skilled, compassionate physician, patients benefit. When our researchers make a discovery, it opens doors for children not yet born. When we partner with our community, we address health where it begins – long before a child ever needs us.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards – not because it is required, but because the children and families who trust us deserve nothing less. We are especially committed to those who face the greatest barriers to care, and to building a department where every background, perspective, and lived experience is genuinely valued.
This is a place of purpose. We are glad you are part of it.
Deepa Mukundan, M.D., DNB, FAAP, FPIDS
Chair, Pediatrics
Professor - Tenured
Chief, Division of Infectious Disease
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
The Department of Pediatrics' mission is to improve the health and well-being of the children in the community we serve through educating excellent clinicians and scientists, providing high-quality, patient-centered care, and producing nationally recognized research in focused areas.
Our vision is to be recognized for excellence in education and research, and to be regionally distinguished for comprehensive clinical care of children.
Our values include:
- Professionalism: We strive for honesty and integrity in our working relationships and hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical and performance standards.
- Collaboration: We are devoted to working jointly with our community partners in delivering high quality medical and preventative care to the children in the community we serve.
- Innovation: We support an organizational culture that values change and innovation.
- Service: We provide excellent health care to all children in the community, especially the vulnerable.
- Inclusion & Opportunity: Heterogeneity in all aspects is embraced. Fairness and equal opportunity are our commitments.
Our History
The Toledo Hospital began in 1870 as an 8-bed hospital founded by the Women’s Christian Association. Growing demand led to moves in 1889 to the Ketcham home and in 1893 to a purpose-built 50-bed hospital. Pressure for greater capacity and improved technology led to the hospital’s transformative move in 1930 to its current site on North Cove Boulevard. This new 250-bed campus allowed the hospital to incorporate modern sanitation practices, improved surgical environments, and expanded patient services. Despite economic strains during the Great Depression and the shortages of World War II, the hospital continued to evolve, adding specialized wings, improving diagnostic capabilities, and developing prominent programs in cardiovascular care and oncology.
Pediatric and obstetrical services gained prominence after 1947. In 1958, the pediatric department moved into a larger, dedicated space, reflecting the increasing need for specialized child-focused care. Advances in obstetrics and neonatology during the 1960s and 1970s led to more sophisticated newborn services. By 1975, the hospital earned designation as a Level III Regional Prenatal Center, becoming a referral site for high‑risk pregnancies and complex neonatal care across northwest Ohio.
By the early 1990s, leadership recognized the value of a unified pediatric identity. This vision became reality in 1994 with the creation of the Children’s Medical Center of Northwest Ohio, later known as ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital. Designed as a “hospital within a hospital,” it provided a fully dedicated pediatric environment with specialized staff and resources while sharing the broader hospital’s infrastructure.
Following its establishment, Toledo Children’s Hospital expanded pediatric subspecialties, enhanced its NICU, and added Child Life Services to support emotional and developmental needs. Family advisory councils strengthened family‑centered care. In 2008, the Renaissance Project introduced a dedicated entrance, modernized units, upgraded technology, and child‑friendly design elements. Today, Toledo Children’s Hospital serves as a major regional referral center, continuing Toledo Hospital’s long-standing legacy of caring for children and families throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.